Lil Poppa dies: Rising rapper was 25, medical examiner confirms; investigation underway

Rising rapper Lil Poppa, born Janarious Mykel Wheeler, passed away at age 25 on Wednesday, February 18, 2026.

Lil Poppa’s death was confirmed by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office in Georgia, as reported by multiple U.S. media outlets.

However, Wheeler’s manner and cause of death are under investigation.

Who was Lil Poppa?

Lil Poppa was born on March 18, 2000, in Jacksonville, Florida.

Poppa’s rise to prominence came after the release of his mixtape series Under Investigation, followed by singles that received national recognition.

Rapper Lil Poppa produced his debut album Blessed, I Guess, which was released in 2021

Rapper Lil Poppa’s last LP, Almost Normal Again came out in August last year, featuring 16 tracks.

Poppa was associated with Collective Music Group (CMG), which was established by rapper Yo Gotti.

The rapper Lil Poppa was famous for tracks that include Love & War, Mind Over Matter, and HAPPY TEARS.

This past Friday, he dropped a new song called Out of Town Bae.

Wheeler came to light from Jacksonville’s hip-hop scene with raw and heartfelt storytelling.

The rising rapper Poppa’s sudden death at such a young age left his fans reeling with the news and heartbroken.

Rapper Wheeler was set to perform in New Orleans next month.